You people have excellent photos.  Can you tell some of the equipment you are using.  I would like to get a digital camera soon. [:I]

Nikon Coolpix - love it.

If I were in your shoes I'd be getting a D-30 or EOS 1-D.

I have a Kodak DC4800 that does very well.

I've got a Nikon 990.  The USB-enabled memory cards (128MB) make data transfers a snap, even without connecting the camera directly.  The new Nikon 995 is even bettwe, with a better flash and a few different features.

Nikon Coolpix 990 - love it.

Nikon CoolPix 5000.  It ROCKS !

The photos look better than my SLR film cams ....  
(I have a Nikon F / F1 / N8008)


I used to have a CoolPix 950 but gave it to my brother to abuse when I got my 5000.

All the Nikon digitals are good (with the exception of the 775 -- it feels kinda "cheap")


You really cannot go wrong with the Nikon family of cameras. [:)]

I just bought an Olympus C-3040Z, and I love it!
I did a lot of research, and compared lots of models before I bought it. I was originally looking to spend more money, but I ended up going the mid-range route for now since the technology is still progressing so rapidly.
The C-3040Z takes pics that are easily compareable to those I've taken over the years with my Pentax Super Program. In a few years when true SLR digicams come down to a reasonable price, I'll probably upgrade.

Hey now, I got a 775 and it is actually a pretty decent little camera for snapshot shooting. For the money it has a good mix of options and optics (I paid $339 for it at Circut City).

I shoot a lot of wildlife on 35mm. I got an EOS for serious photography and don't need the killer accessories or toys on a digital so I opted for the 775. It has been a great little box to shoot with. You are right that it feels cheap but it packs the same punch as the rest of the Nikon family.

raf
i shoot medium format, and i only have limited experience with leicas but the rollei TLR's kick butt.  i dropped about 350 on an early vintage rollei with a 3.5 xenar and it took pics as good as my hasselblad 501cm.  the biggest problem was that using the blad had really spoiled me to a superbright focusing screen (and i didnt wat to drop the coin for a new one) so i let it go to a local art student.  now i'm out of the business (wedding photography) an i'm thinking about looking for a rollei again! gotta love 'em.  the rangefinder attachment is interesting too and gives you the lowlight/speed advantage of the leicas as well.  im just not sure how those thingies hold up.
Also, i just got my dad a nikon coolpix 995 for christmas and it seems pretty damn cool and pictures are nice for sure. good resolution and the color were rich and saturated, and its about as tweakable as most pro-am 35mm autofocus cams. imho the cameras that take interchangable lenses are too much $$$ for what they are really worth.  just imagine having a 3.1 or 5 mpixel camera at the end of next year when everyone else has twice that and yours is worth about 40% or what you paid for it. if you are going to drop the coin on a digital camera, go for the most bang for the buck!
That said, ive seen the coolpix 5000 at the store and it looks much better than the 995.  If you are looking to sell the leica, i may be interested, but i have to find a loving home for my hasselblad (as well as endure the seperation ainxiety)
btw if you search my most recent posts there are a few shots from the coolpix 995 for reference

oh and the only 11x14's ive seen that were GOOD were on a nikon d1x and a dye-sub printer
the GREAT ones were all film.
(maybe im saying that just because i printed them myself???...)

Cant beat a III,M2,M3, for quiet.  Great for babe shots.  Slap on a 35mm, preset for depth of field and focus. Little practice frames those bikinis real nice.  They don't know because they don't hear it.

Shooting from behind a crowd, rig a mount and a 3 or 4 foot pole on that Rollei, hook up a long cable, turn upside down and elevate.  May need to make a hood for focusing glass.  Lot bigger margin for error than F1 or F where prism will pop off.

Flatapple, although some of the comments above are spot on, you wouldn't go to a camera board to ask about guns, so check out [url]www.dpreview.com[/url] for a very comprehensive site strictly about digicams of all types and price ranges.

Much like here, the user forums are a great place for information if you can get past the expected level of brand name partisanship.

Good luck, you shouldn't have any difficulty finding something you'll be happy with at the right price.

-Observer

Wow..  339 is a great price !  

I actually never looked at the output of the camera --  just picked it up off the counterand played around with it...

Can you post a shot that you've taken w/it ?

(I'm looking to buy a sub-$400 camera to buy for a friend)

Thanks!!

I just printed out a few pics that I took during Christmas:

I used the CoolPix 5000 in the "fine" resolution mode at the largest size (2560x1920).  
(at this setting, I can squeeze 120 pictures onto a 256mb compact flash card)

I printed using my Epson 1270 printer using a new premium brand of paper from a local camera store  
(I can't recall the name but it was SUPER expensive -- around $80 for 20 sheets @11"x17" tabloid size)

The photos look PERFECT !  

I actually cannot tell the difference between them and film output!!

Truthfully, I never fully expected a digital camera to rival conventional film cameras.
I have been proven wrong and am quite happy about it. [:D]

Sony DSC-S75

Love it!